Possession, Obsession, and Maybe Love
by Ebonlas
Summary: It's been a year since Ciel and Sebastian left England. One day he hears the Queen's Watchdog is in London with his butler. Deciding to play a game with the new Ciel's soul for his audacity, they find that their feelings for each other might just be love.
1. Chapter 1: Homecoming

POSSESSION, OBSESSION, AND MAYBE LOVE

Ciel Phantomhive X Sebastian Michaelis

Ebonlas

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><p>AN: Disclaimer – I do not own, nor did I create any of the original Kuroshituji characters or plot lines. Those are to be placed firmly at their respected owner's feet. Thank you Toboso Yana-san for your brilliance. That said and done, please do enjoy yourselves in my mind's creations.

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Homecoming

One year.

Ciel took a sip of the blood-red soul from his porcelain cup and watched as the sky was set aflame by the setting sun. It's been one year already, he mused. His first year as a demon slipped out of his fingers so quickly. He would merely blink and another week had passed. During this time there were only a handful of moments that left an impression on his memories.

Memories.

Ciel set down his cup with barely a _chink_ and watched Parisians, Germans, Spaniards, and Englishmen alike scurry around the Eiffel Tower; its novelty not yet faded and maybe never will. He sat outside a little café and watched the people flow around him. A part of the city life, and yet apart from it.

The Eiffel Tower.

He was almost back to where it all began. Did these people know what occurred at the top of that tower a year ago? Did they know how his life was ripped apart for the second time? Did it matter? To them all, he guessed it didn't.

"Would you like another shard, my lord?"

Sebastian's voice cut through his melancholy thoughts. How unlike himself, to be so lost in the past. He glanced up at the small black crystal his butler held in his gloved hand. The discovery of the process to make the useful item was one of the few memorable moments of his journey, although he couldn't recall her name or face now. A demon they met in Moscow shared her secrets in exchange for her life. She even so kindly handed over her own crystallization box. With this box he could find his victims and cleanly steal their souls. Just look inside, just look inside and you'll see something beautiful. Once their gaze was captured by the dark interior, their souls would leak out and fall into the beautifully carved ivory box. There, the souls crystallized over time, preserved for his consumption forever.

"Another shard, my lord?" Sebastian asked again.

Ciel waved it away. "I'm in the mood for something fresher tonight. There was a hotel near here that refused me lodging once. I want to visit the owner again."

Sebastian straightened and opened the palm-sized bone-white box on the table. He dropped the shard back in. He watched the colorful broken pieces of souls trapped there before closing the box. His own soul box was in his pocket. The jade and ivory "box" was no bigger than a pen but just as potent as the original. The only real difference was how the souls were harvested and how many it could hold. Instead of luring the soul into the ivory box, the jade pen grabbed hold of the target soul and sucked it in to be turned into a fine powder. Master Ciel had found he had a knack for creating demon artifacts and he made quite a few things. His offensive skills were still lacking, but his clever creations went a long way in making up for that. The boxes made regular meals possible but the taste of a fresh kill was still irreplaceable. "Yes, my lord."

Ciel fingered the delicate gold edging of the saucer before picking up the cup again. It was partway to his lips when two Englishmen moved to the table behind him. They nodded to him before sitting down. He saluted them with his cup before returning his attention to the street beside him. A boy and his mother walked by just then and drew him into their conversation.

"Maman, I want a new toy," the boy said in a sweet voice that matched his young age.

The mother stopped to pat the boy on his head. "Alright then, just for tonight we can get you a gift for starting school. Would you like the new Fun Tom toy?"

The five years old boy rolled his eyes and whined. "Non, maman. The new Fun Tom toys are no good at all. They're so boring. Everyone will laugh at me."

She picked him up with a laugh. "I see. Ok, how about the original Bitter Rabbit book bag?"

The boy shouted with joy and gave her a tight hug. "Oui! Je t'aime, maman!"

The woman put him down and together they walked hand in hand down the street, the boy singing "Bitter Rabbit" with every step.

Ciel put his empty cup down with a slight nip of irritation gnawing at him. Someone was ruining his company, it seemed. The two men behind him confirmed it.

The blond man and his companion watched the boy and his mother as they left. "Yes, I believe that just about proves it, William. The Fun Tom company has fallen short of expectations these years. If they didn't have such a strong base they would have collapsed already. And supposedly a child is running it all," he said.

The man, William, laughed scornfully. "Yes, that is what they get for letting a child sit behind the desk. They should have known better. Either you or I would have been a better fit for the position, eh, Charles?"

Charles waved that thought aside quickly. "I wouldn't want to be the Queen's Watchdog for anything."

William choked on his coffee and sputtered. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you know that the Fun Tom company is owned by the Phantomhive family?"

"Well, what about them? Why wouldn't you want a chance to be a nobleman?"

Charles shook his head. "I wouldn't want anything to do with the Evil Nobleman. I don't want to be burned to death like that kid's family. I don't want to get my hands dirty with anything he's doing," he said adamantly.

Ciel had heard enough. He edged his chair back to leave when what they said next stopped him.

"Ciel Phantomhive's in London playing for the Queen. He barely leaves her side, him and his Oriental butler. More lap dog than watch dog now."

Sebastian watched as fine lines appeared in the teacup from Ciel's anger. Slowly the cup turned to powdery dust before Ciel controlled his temper. The conversation between the two men at his back had him curious, but not enough for him to truly care. Not much of anything made a difference to him now. His servitude was eternal and it was his little lord that would decide their destination. His little lord that would decide everything. Sebastian was just a butler.

Ciel looked up into Sebastian's apathetic eyes and nearly snarled. Those damned eyes! He hated Sebastian's cold, dead eyes. There was no longer any sense of sadistic anticipation or bestial cunning in them. There was no disdain, no anger, no frustration. There was nothing. And that drowned him in his own frustration. This man, this demon, was no longer the demon he knew; the demon he wanted at his side forever. This demon no longer wanted him.

Which was fine. Right? Because Ciel Phantomhive needed no one. A butler was just a servant to make his life easier, right?

Gritting his teeth to bite back his volatile temper, he pushed away from the table and barked, "Come, Sebastian." He was so angry now he almost didn't care if anyone saw him. Once he turned into an alley he took to the air, his obsidian butterfly earring lending him the ability to skim above the roof tops. Without glancing backwards to check if his servant followed him, he sped to his dinner.

Tonight he was going to rip the innkeeper's soul out of his screaming, broken body. And tomorrow... Tomorrow he would return to England to find the Queen's Watchdog who dared to take the name Ciel Phantomhive.

Ciel stepped up to the well manicured drive leading to his estate with the moon beginning its ascent behind him. The loom of the building surprised him when he saw a familiar hat bobbing just above a neat bush. If Finny was there, then so too were the others. He had slightly expected to see the manor in ruins. He pulled his hat down slightly further to cover his eyes. Together with Sebastian, he walked up that nostalgic drive.

Not halfway up the path the ground rumbled and Ciel looked up in surprise to find Finny running towards them with a statue in his hands. The wild look in his eyes did not bode well. "Go away, you sneaky people! Or I'll throw this statue at you!"

Sebastian stopped for a moment but Ciel never faltered. It was his estate and he'd be damned if he let the servants stop him from entering. But Finny never got a chance to follow through with his threat. Mei-Rin, with her extraordinary eyesight came bounding out the door and past the teary gardener.

"Young Master! It's young master!" she exclaimed exuberantly. "Young master and Sebastian are back!"

Finny put down the angelic statue and trotted up along side the woman. "Young master? The real young master?"

Bard came running out a second later, his long legs eating up the ground until he was abreast with the others. "Is it true? Are they really back?"

Ciel wasn't given a chance to confirm or deny his identity. The three made it impossible to interject anything in their excitement.

"It's really them! I recognized the way they walk from up on the roof top," Mei-Rin said.

Finny looked at Mei-Rin's face in awe. "You can do that? Just by the way they walk? But didn't the young master always wear an eye patch?"

Bard pushed the boy's head down affectionately. "Remember what Tanaka said? The young master only wore it to hide the evidence of his contract to Sebastian. He doesn't need to hide it anymore."

Ciel was taken aback by what the chef said so casually. At what point was his secret known to his household? But before he could say anything, the three stood in front of him and bowed.

"Welcome home, young master Ciel. Welcome home, Sebastian," they said together. Then they straightened and glanced at each other before looking at him again. "We hope you had a devil of a time on your travels," they said with a grin.

Ciel didn't know what to say. Their actions left him in a light state of shock.

Mei-Rin, the clumsiest of them all, stepped up to the plate and offered a solution. "If the young master would like to continue this inside? We've kept your office the way you left it as much as we could. We would like to speak to you there, if you would permit us."

Ciel was dealt another surprise by her proper language. He gave a slight nod and moved forward. This sounded like a long conversation, one that he might need to sit down for.

The interior of the manor looked the same but the atmosphere was noticeably different. The well lit air hung untouched around them, quiet and forgotten. There was the vastness of space but no life in it, like the walls itself thought that without a lord to serve, it was little better than a decorative cavern. It seemed that part of the rumors were true; the new lord of the house did not reside in his estate often. But better than useless speculations, he needed information. He walked silently to his office.

Sebastian pushed open the large oak door and let his master and the other three through before entering himself, taking the offered hat and cloak as the small demon passed by. He watched as Ciel walked around the heavy desk and took his seat like the countless times before. He closed the door and stood beside it, unobtrusive. The show tonight will be coming from the humans.

Ciel settled into his leather chair and pinned his servants with his red stare. He motioned with a hand for them to begin their story.

Finny could hold it in no longer. Crying profusely he blurted, "Tanaka is dead, young master."

A corner of his heart convulsed with pain, but he kept the sadness from entering his expression. "Is that the beginning of the story?" Ciel asked.

Finny shook his head.

Ciel looked at Bard to give his gardener time to pull himself together. "Then start at the beginning."

The chef swallowed the lump in his throat and drew in a deep breath. "It started two months after you left, sir. I was trying to make dinner when I was summoned by Tanaka to get Mei-Rin and Finny quickly before meeting the guests. It was in this room that we met the fake Ciel Phantomhive for the first time. And we were fooled by him," he gritted out. His fists were shaking with his anger.

Mei-Rin touched her friend's shoulder in a show of camaraderie and continued the story for him. "At first we were all fooled by them, but we were just so happy that the young master was finally home again. The only one that knew from the start was Tanaka, but he said nothing to us then. That Ciel Phantomhive was escorted here with three of the Queen's men with a written order for our continued service under him. That should have been a clue, but we turned a blind eye to everything but the fact that you were home. And he truly looks just like you with the same colored hair and eyes, his height, even his bone structure. His voice, too, young master.

"We were so happy that we did our best and truly learned our duties, because Sebastian wasn't here any longer to help us. And that was another thing that should have told us to look deeper. Sebastian, who said he would never leave young master's side, was not here anymore. When I thought to ask, I was pushed down and burned with the young master's tea." Her hand moved up to her chest from the memory of the pain. It was her turn to be offered a supporting hand by Bard.

He took up the reins where she left off. "It was then that we started noticing other things that where off. It's embarrassing that it took us a month to figure it out. Sir, sometimes you are cold to us, but in the years we served you, you never raised a hand against us. If we did something wrong, you would just have us do it again or just walk away. This Ciel would throw the silverware at us and even the broken plates. He would set fire to Finny's bush as soon as he finished trimming it, and punish him for it. But it wasn't until the imposter argued with Tanaka that we finally saw that he wasn't you. You would NEVER strike Tanaka with your cane, never," he finished vehemently before his passion took over and he was once again unable to speak.

"When I asked him if I could make a grave marker for Pluto's grave, he didn't know who Pluto was. I cried that he would forget Pluto, when he remembered everything else, and then he forbade me to bring up that name again and to never set up a grave marker for Pluto. And, and he called me a freak," Finny couldn't help but interject as he sobbed.

Mei-Rin spoke up again. "Into the second month, Tanaka started resisting his orders. He did all the normal things a butler would do but nothing else. We were all scared by then and didn't ask any questions. We didn't want to draw attention at all. Tanaka knew our fears and used himself as a buffer between the young lord and us. We should never have allowed it to happen. We just didn't know what to do. This is our only home. And this is where our memory of you are, young master. One night when he took his cane to Finny, we were standing outside, waiting to take Finny away and treat him as soon as his punishment was done."

Finny jumped in again, tears running down his face. "All I did was put fresh flowers in this room like I did when you were here, and then he walked in and beat me. He said I was trying to kill him, bringing in flowers he was allergic to. And when I said that flowers never bothered the young master, he threw down his cane and picked up the fire poker instead. I started screaming when he put the poker in the fire and came to hit me again. Tanaka and the others rushed into the room then and protected me. When we were leaving the room, Tanaka turned back to the young master's imposter and said: I have served the Phantomhive name for my entire life, and you sir, are no Phantomhive!"

Mei-Rin started mumbling, her gaze distant behind her glasses. "We shouldn't have let him say that. We should have stayed with him that night. We shouldn't have left him alone after he gave us his diary. He knew something was going to happen. I wish we did, too."

Bard put a protective arm around her and even pulled Finny in closer. They stood huddled there together. "They found Tanaka dead the next morning, sir. The young lord said he woke up on his own and when he rang for Tanaka, he never showed. So he went to see for himself why Tanaka was neglecting his duty. He said Tanaka was already dead when he got there." Bard shook his head before continuing. "It didn't seem right. We weren't allowed near the body. And not even half a day passed before a new butler was at the door."

She had gathered her courage again and only a small quiver in her voice was heard. "We had a small funeral the next day for Tanaka. They said his heart gave out on him and he just died in his sleep. It didn't seem right at all but we had no proof. Before the fake young master left for London, the new butler, Michael, burned all of Tanaka's personal belongings. The only thing that was safe was the diary we hid in my room."

Finny wiped at his tear-stained face with his arm. "We read the diary the night after Michael and young master's imposter left. We found out about everything then."

Mei-Rin took a tentative step forward. "We know the young master is a demon like Sebastian now. Is that why you left us?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Ciel touched his steepled fingers to his lips as he watched them, weighing his words in his mind before answering. The fear he saw shadowed over them caused a spurt of anger to flood his veins. How dare some arrogant piece of trash touch his people. He gave her the full weight of his gaze. "Partly," he said. "You said you read Tanaka's diary and know everything he knew. You know, then, that I nearly died once before."

She nodded. "And that before you truly died you made a contract with Sebastian, who saved you."

Ciel smirked at that romantic rendition. "Do you know what the terms of that contract was?"

She hesitated before answering. "No, young master."

"Sebastian would act as my butler as he helped me get my revenge on the cretins who soiled my name and pride that night. In return for his service, when the last person died, my soul was Sebastian's to eat. Last year, my revenge was completed. I no longer needed to be here."

Mei-Rin shuddered but pushed on. "But young master is alive. Did Sebastian change his mind and turned you into a demon instead?"

Ciel laughed. "It's not so romantic as that, Mei-Rin. If Sebastian could, he would have devoured my soul a long time ago. But due to unexpected turn of events, I was turned into a demon before he could eat me."

"Then why did you leave us and let everyone believe you were dead?" she blurted out desperately, almost accusingly.

He looked at her, just looked at her. "Ciel Phantomhive, the Queen's Watchdog, the Evil Nobleman, did die. I am no longer the person who sat here a year ago. I do not serve the Queen or this country anymore."

"Then who are you?" she whispered hoarsely.

A gust of wind chose that moment to blow back the heavy curtains through the open window. Ciel sat there with the heavy, pregnant moon behind him. He watched them all with glowing red eyes, one with a cursed pentacle in it. "I am Ciel Phantomhive, a demon."

The three humans steeled themselves. They glanced at each other with a nod and dropped to one knee in unison. "We recognize you as the true lord of this house, as the true bearer of the Phantomhive name. We pledge to you our loyalty and service from this day forth."

Ciel sat up straighter in his chair and he noted Sebastian's sudden stiffness as well. He was not the only one taken by surprise this time. He looked at the three bowed heads. How long had they been thinking about this moment? This was no spur of the moment decision for it to be so choreographed. "You would pledge loyalty to a demon? Be careful of what you say, I may eat your soul."

They didn't so much as shudder. They were resolute in their decision. Finny spoke up first. "Sebastian found us and gave us a chance for a better life, but you let us into your house. You took us in without knowing who we were."

"You took us in without asking what we've done," Bard said.

Mei-Rin finished for them. "You took us in and gave us a home we were proud to defend, to use our abilities for something we didn't need to be ashamed of. We were useless at anything other than killing before, and even though that's still what we do best, we've become servants this household can be proud of having. We won't cause you trouble anymore."

Ciel thought for a bit. Did he want them tangled up in the demonic world? His servants were skillful, but they were still humans... and yet they managed to subdue a rampaging Devil Dog. He opened his mouth to voice his decision but was interrupted.

Bard spoke with his head still bowed. "We should have pledged our loyalty to you before. From the moment we became a member of this household, we were loyal to you and the Phantomhive name, not the to the Queen or this country and especially to that deceiving brat. No, more than the Phantomhive name, we are loyal to YOU, my lord." He looked up, his eyes burning with his conviction.

Ciel sighed. "Fine," he said. "I prefer to have a home territory anyway. But leave me now, I need to speak to Sebastian."

Dismissed, but happy they were once again with their true lord, the three humans left. Before they exited the door, Bard turned and asked. "Sir, will you be having dinner tonight?"

Ciel smiled coldly. "Will you lure me a tasty soul for my dinner?" he teased.

The man nodded puzzledly and left. Before the door swung shut, Ciel could hear them outside. "Did he mean that?" Finny asked.

"What sort of soul would young master find tasty?" Mei-Rin wondered.

"Maybe we'll ask Sebastian when he comes out," Bard said before Ciel couldn't hear them anymore.

"How amusing. They would rather serve a demon than the impertinent filth sent by the Queen," he said when he and Sebastian were alone.

Sebastian set about to preparing Ciel's "tea" by the cabinet. On the tray he brought to the desk sat the fine violet china, the soul box, silver tongs, a teaspoon, and a pressed white linen napkin. He placed the tray down and arranged the items in front of his lord. "Do you think this wise, my lord? Your family estate is very close to the capital."

Ciel opened the soul box and peered inside. Using the silver tongs, he carefully selected the largest of the four peridot shards mixed in with the other colors. He dropped it into the gently steaming cup and closed the box. He placed the tongs down and watched as the water turned the color of spring grass as the fragment of the soul dissolved. "It's safe enough for now and this will amuse me for a while." Ciel fell silent as he picked up the violet cup and sipped the childish soul. He stared out the window into the full moon. "Sebastian, go to London and find out everything you can on the old woman's 'Ciel Phantomhive' and his butler Michael. You may make a stop for food on your way home but don't be too long."

"Yes, my lord."

Ciel didn't turn around to see his butler disappear. He watched the moon and drank at the crying soul, his mind thinking of the next necessary moves this new game of chess required.

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><p>AN: Normally I write Prince of Tennis fanfics and they tend to have an emphasis on sex between the male characters. Given my way, there will be plenty of vivid intimacy between Ciel and Sebastian. If you as readers would rather see more story than sex, speak now or forever hold your peace. I'm not saying I'd give up the sex, but I would gloss over the details in your favor. That is if the majority says story: yes, sex: no.

I hope you will enjoy this story with me.

- Ebon


	2. Chapter 2: Flutter

POSSESSION, OBSESSION, AND MAYBE LOVE

Ciel Phantomhive X Sebastian Michaelis

Ebonlas

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><p>AN: Disclaimer – I do not own, nor did I create any of the original Kuroshituji characters or plot lines. Those are to be placed firmly at their respected owner's feet. Thank you Toboso Yana-san for your brilliance. That said and done, please do enjoy yourselves in my mind's creations.

Also, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, especially LovelyWickedDescet and Gaarah. You make me look forward to writing another chapter.

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Flutter

The last of the demonic butterflies settled into place and Ciel sealed the sapphire ring. Finished with his newest toy, he placed it on his left pinkie finger and gave a sharp whistle. The seal released and a flurry of venomous, hungry butterflies rushed out, seeking the thing that threatened their master. They beat at the walls with their wings, searching to find the source of his irritation. He gave another whistle and they spiraled back into the ring like an angry blue cyclone. Satisfied, Ciel sat back and watched the clock strike its third hour since Sebastian left his side.

The curtain flipped in the sudden gust of wind, momentarily eating the light of the moon. The room drowned in the swift darkness and Ciel basked in the lack of light. He knew darkness. He lived in it long enough to make it feel like home. The air stilled and the burnished gold fabric resettled. Sebastian stood in the center of the room. Ciel's eye twitched at the showy entrance but knew better than to point out the existence of the door. It had been a while since Sebastian was motivated enough to exhibit his abilities. Judging by the irate look on his face, what he found tonight was annoying enough to rise a reaction.

Sebastian didn't wait for his lord to acknowledge his return. "Ciel Phantomhive is a complete good-for-nothing idiot."

Ciel sat silently with his head resting on one fist. He knew the double entendre was meant to stab him as well but he let it go. He continued to stare at his butler and click his black finger nails on the desk as he waited for the rest of the report.

A stack of papers no thicker than the width of a match stick appeared in Sebastian's hand. He placed the first three quarters on the wooden surface by Ciel's tapping fingers. He waited until the papers were picked up before continuing. "Ciel Phantomhive is the first grandson of the false Queen, born as Alan Haysop in East London in 1876. His parents died in the London Fire last year and he was taken in by the Queen. Your timely 'death' made it convenient for them to give the boy your land and title, making him a part of the upper crust. He shares your coloring and stature, but the moment news of your death reached the Queen he underwent surgery to reconstruct his face. Indeed, at the moment, he is nearly the exact replica of you, my lord."

Ciel stared at the photograph on top of the pile dispassionately. He wondered why this complete putz of a human being upset his servant so much. He knew better than to suggest Sebastian's anger was in his defense. It would take a level of caring for his butler to be affronted on Ciel's behalf, and there was no such emotion between them. Sadly... thankfully... He turned the page and flipped the thought aside. "He took lessons on how to be me?" he asked in surprise.

"During his recovery he was taught proper language, table etiquette, social etiquette, and other necessary knowledge to be an Earl. Among those lessons he was, indeed, taught how to be you, my lord. He learned your posture, your unique behavioral patterns, and some of your quaint sarcasm."

Ciel's eye twitched again at the subtle criticism, but nevertheless ignored it. "I wonder if I'm supposed to be flattered."

Sebastian watched as Ciel's face clouded. He knew what dark thoughts were emerging behind those large crimson eyes. "Yes, my lord. He knows about your humiliating past, but not of how you survived. Alan Haysop has learned enough of you to fool most people, but scratch the surface, he would never be you."

Ciel narrowed his eyes at the description of his past, and the implication that his past was still known and passed down. He could assume that Haysop was informed by the Queen. But the Queen must have been informed by someone else. Who though? It seemed his revenge was not as completed as he thought. He put the thought aside for the time being. "Besides the obvious, why would he never be me?"

Sebastian made a slightly disgusted face. "His soul is no where near how delicious yours was. It is thin and weak and tasteless. If he was the one who tried to contract me that night, I would have let him die."

Ciel nearly laughed at the cold rejection. How Sebastian-like that answer was. But having lived a year as a demon, he knew now that a soul was more distinguishing than any physical appearance; more so even than a fingerprint. "Does this mean you would be uninterested in eating him?"

"Only if I was absolutely desperate, and even then I might have to gag it down," he answered blandly.

Ciel looked up from the file in his hand to chuckle at his butler. "I'm sure you, the Phantomhive butler, can do something to make this pathetic soul more tasty."

Sebastian paused thoughtfully. "That is true, but at his current state, it would take much effort."

"I'd like to meet him myself now, to see how tasteless he is."

He made another bland expression. "You would be wasting your time, my lord. I would think you would make better use of it by meeting the new butler," he said as he handed the last page of his report to his master.

Ciel held the paper and arched an eyebrow. "One page?"

Sebastian bowed. "Michael Bane Hisui. His age is unknown and the only clue to his origin is his surname. Hisui comes from an island country east of China called Japan. It is the same country that Tanaka was from. He appeared in London nine months ago for a private audience with her majesty. He has been by her side until Tanaka died. He was then appointed as the new Phantomhive butler. His eyes are dark brown and he has shoulder length black hair. He is 5'8'' with a very slender build. He moves with a grace and confidence that only comes from true combat."

Ciel's eyebrow arched even higher at Sebastian's impressed tone. "Is he human?"

Sebastian gave a quick nod. "He is as far as I can tell."

"As far as you can tell?"

"There's something about his soul that is different from any human soul I've encountered. He smells mysterious and intoxicating. The complexity of his soul is just enchanting, and dangerous."

Ciel watched his butler shiver slightly in excitement. "You sound addicted already."

Sebastian whispered his hand over the back of the leather chair and brought himself closer to the slender demon. "Your mouth would water with him near, my lord."

Ciel pressed a finger into the base of Sebastian's throat until the man leaned back. "What an unpleasant picture. But it would be worth seeing a soul that gets you excited. I would like to taste such a soul."

Sebastian grinned. "Just a taste?"

Ciel dismissed his tease with a glance. "A taste is enough, you can do whatever you want with the rest. I am not the glutton in this room."

Sebastian laughed and bowed. "Ah, what a generous master I have."

Ciel stared at his butler's predatory grin and felt his body warm. It had been such a long time since he saw that expression on his face. He remembered the night that hungry look disappeared. It was the night he woke up without a soul. And to see it again now, he couldn't describe or understand why it made him happy. He wanted to feel the return of his Sebastian. "Take me to my room, Sebastian, and show me what you can do with that excitement of yours," he stated, commanded, demanded.

A cloud veiled the moon and the room was cast in shadow again. All that could be seen was his sharp grin. "As you wish, my lord," he responded. Grinning with predatory anticipation, he did as he was bid.

They were silent on the way up to his room. Ciel kept his eyes ahead, almost ignoring the man carrying him. It wouldn't be the first time he was touched sexually, but this was the first time he wanted it. And the fact that it was his choice, gave him strength and made him awkward at the same time. He asked for this situation, demanded it, but he didn't know what to do. His mind blurred as he thought furiously. There had to be a way for him to get what he wanted without letting Sebastian know his lack of experience. But then again Sebastian knew everything about him, so he would know that already. At the very least there had to be a way for him to save face and not seem as awkward as he felt.

The touch of cold silk against his skin brought him back to himself to find him on his back. He laid on the midnight blue sheets that once echoed his drowningly vibrant eyes and stared up at the man looming above him. The time for thoughts were gone and so he didn't think. "Undress me," he said and watched as Sebastian took his time peeling off the layers of his clothing. One article at a time, he was bared to the demon's scarlet eyes. He didn't dare take his eyes away from the narrowed, glowing ones above him. He couldn't let on how unsure he felt, how his heart fluttered in his throat. All he could do was continue to stare in defiant dignity and say, "Now undress yourself." He said it, but he never imagined how erotic it was to hold the intense eye contact.

Sebastian watched his cute little lord in amusement as he pulled off first one glove, and then the other. The effort it took the boy to maintain his facade was transparent though his face showed none of it. The fact that his body was betraying his defiance made Sebastian want to chuckle. The pulse dancing beneath the thin skin of his throat begged to be kissed, licked, bit. He let that thought enter his eyes, making them heavy-lidded and sultry as he loosened his neck tie. A sharp intake of breath could be heard in the quiet room. The scrap of material unwound from his neck and he let it slither to the floor. He undid his jacket and let it fall from his body; then the vest followed in its wake. The buttons of his shirt came undone, first exposing his throat, then his chest, and finally pulled free of his slacks to show his taut abdomen. He unclipped his shirt cuffs and pulled off the stiff white shirt. He drapped it over Ciel's slender body, encasing him with his scent.

He smirked as Ciel's chest rose and fell quickly, his breaths coming out in shallow pants. _I can make you pant faster, make you feel like you'll ever get enough air in your lungs_, he thought as he unbuckled his belt and kicked off his shoes. He put himself between Ciel's legs and bent down, keeping his eyes locked on crimson ones, and peeled off his socks. He straightened with a knowing grin and pulled out his belt, folded it in half, and made a sharp, punishing crack. Ciel's pulse sped up even more and Sebastian dropped the leather strip in satisfaction. He reached down to caress Ciel's thighs, to bring his knees up on either sides of him but was stopped.

Ciel propped up on his elbows and held up a warding foot. "Don't touch me until your clothes are off," he said coldly. The power differential was too much in the other demon's favor. He needed them to be at an even base, to be naked, bared to each other with no scrap of cloth between them.

The corner of Sebastian's lip twitched at the last bit of control Ciel tried to hold on to. He shrugged and moved his hands down to play with the waistline of his pants. He unsnapped the first button, his eyes still boring into his lord's. He put the weight of his anticipation into his eyes and released the second button. The third button gave way and he licked his lips at Ciel's widening eyes. When the last two buttons unsnapped he snarled and let his black slacks drop to the floor. Ciel's eyes were melting back and forth between the demon crimson and his human cerulean, his control slipping out of his fingers. Sebastian snarled again at the cerulean that taunted him with the soul that was beyond his grasp. A growl slipped through his throat and he climbed on top of the small body, his eyes frustrated, hungry, and vengeful.

Ciel's eyes stretched impossibly wide and his heart jumped into this throat. He could taste his pulse on the back of his tongue. All the emotions he thought Sebastian lost were all there in that snarling face. Before he could say anything, his mouth was taken possession of. Sebastian bit his lip savagely. The slick flesh split and he gasped from the pain. The blood flooded his mouth and in plundered Sebastian's tongue. The demon ate at his mouth, drank his blood, tasted his fear. The wound healed and Ciel was released. He licked his coppery lips and stared up at the pained look of the man holding him down.

Sebastian hung his head and shook from pent up frustration. The words spilled out of him in a low growl. "It was mine. Your soul was supposed to belong to me. Mine."

Ciel reached up and wiped the smear of his blood painting those mobile lips. How long had Sebastian been holding this in? How long had he been feeling the devastating anger with no direction or outlet? Was behind that mask of apathy this caustic force eating at him? Ciel pressed his thumb against the soft flesh of Sebastian's lips until the finger was licked clean. "But my soul will never be yours now and you are mine."

Sebastian gave a full throated scream of rage. "Yes, yours. Forever. It was all for nothing, and I am your butler forever. I can't even kill you to free myself."

The sound of cloth ripping dragged out a sigh from Ciel's lips. The white shirt that laid over his stomach was torn in two in the face of his butler's destructive wrath. He watched from inches away as all that emotion leaked out, and almost as fast as it came, Sebastian's angry storm blew away. All that was left was his normal bored, non-caring expression. A mask. It was all a mask. And it was his fault that it was there. Being turned into a demon was beyond his control, but releasing Sebastian from his duties was something he could do. And yet it was something he could not. Anything but that. He sighed again and pushed at the cold chest above him. "Get off me and mound my pillows. I need to think."

Sebastian rolled over and propped himself seductively on one elbow. "You no longer want to make use of me?"

Ciel drank in his inviting form but knew better than to give in. He was not about to give up what few advantages he had in their... relationship, for lack of a better word. He sat up and pointed at his pillows. "You are of no use to me physically now, but your brain might still have some merit," he said in a chillingly aloof tone.

The corner of Sebastian's lips twitched. He kept his eyes on the young man and slowly rolled on to his stomach. He rose on to all fours to showcase how well endowed he was and said, "If you are sure, my lord."

Ciel pulled his gaze away from the nice view and swallowed hard at the lump in his throat. "All I want from you tonight is for you to stay with me so I can pick at your brain."

_My lord can be so cute sometimes_. He was surprised by how easily the thought popped into his head. Over a year had passed since frivolous, teasing thoughts of his master entered his mind. All the resentment, frustration, anger, and hatred he felt since Ciel opened his crimson eyes had masked everything in a bloody haze. And over it all was his despair at being fooled and played by a demon bitch. It was his fault for being fooled, but somehow he started to blame Ciel. It was against a butler's aesthetics to express his inner turmoil in front of his master, but once a hair-line fissure formed in his shields it was beyond his control. Appearing out of no where, a rogue wave of everything he felt poured out of him and left him feeling lighter. He felt more like himself now and Ciel's casual acceptance of his outrage, and the easy way he dismissed him started to irk Sebastian. And what better way to punish his little master than to make it hard for him sit comfortably? But first the pillows.

Ciel shot his butler a look of suspicion out the corner of his eyes as he settled himself amongst the pillows. With his back against the headboard, he pulled back a section of the blanket to indicate Sebastian sit with him. "How is Alan Haysop's soul thin?" he asked as he pretended not to see Sebastian arranging his body artfully next to him. "When we figure that out, we can figure out how to fatten it up."

Sebastian lay on his side facing Ciel's profile, propped on an elbow. "You still want to bother with Ciel's...Haysop's soul?" he asked, changing the name midway when he received a murderous glare.

Ciel clenched and unclenched his fist before answering. "What better way to punish him for daring to take the name Ciel Phantomhive?"

Sebastian shivered at the cold, merciless look in his master's eyes. "Put him through hell, give him everything, and then eat him when he reaches his goal?"

He cast his servant a cutting glance. "Give him everything? Why should I do such a thing like that?"

Sebastian shifted his hips when he was pinned with those cruel eyes. "Give him enough to destroy himself," he corrected.

Ciel thought for a moment and nodded. "What is his soul lacking?" he asked again.

"Experience."

Ciel didn't respond to the quick tongue-in-cheek reply and just stared.

Sebastian's lip twitched. "He is untried."

Ciel arched an eyebrow. "A boy living in East London, untried? What does he need then?"

Sebastian paused thoughtfully. "A will to survive."

Ciel waited in silence for Sebastian's next words.

"He fears losing everything and returning to his nothing life."

"So, he needs to taste true despair, to lose everything."

"Yes. And he does have greed. If he stands to gain back what he lost, he would kill for it."

"Killing is easy in East London," Ciel said.

Sebastian hummed in agreement and slid his body closer to his master's slender legs.

Ciel was lost in thought as he stared down at his demon. He continued with his eyes filling with a hard, black emotion. "One by one, take away what he holds desperately to his chest and feed him the hatred needed to defy death. A drop at a time, fill him with poisoned hope of obtaining what he desires. And when his finger is a breath away, he loses everything including his soul because what is once lost cannot be held a second time." The words were whispered softly, emotional and emotionless at the same time.

Sebastian's body was wracked with delightful shivers at the pitiless words and ruthless eyes. This was the boy that attracted him with the depths of his ebony, and yet pure heart. He turned on to his stomach and pressed himself into the silk sheets. It was as much an effort to control himself as it was a movement to stimulate himself more. "Yes," he breathed raggedly.

Ciel watched as those scarlet eyes darkened, those lips part, those hips shift and felt himself swell. "If you are that eager to express your excitement, then put that body to good use and pleasure me," Ciel demanded in annoyed arousal.

Sebastian's grin was predatory. He reached up and dragged Ciel down until he was beneath him, pinned to the blue bed. "With pleasure, my lord," he purred. He forced the small chin up, exposing the slender throat to his mouth. But the feel of the silky skin through his lips was not enough. He needed to mar the tender flesh with his teeth.

The first quick scrape over his Adam's apple brought a gasp to his lips. Ciel's pulse throbbed in his neck in time with his fluttering heart rate. He was licked, tasted, and nibbled upon. Sebastian reached the skin just above his collarbone and he shuddered. His breathing came out in raspy breaths that ended in soft moans. Teeth closed over the narrow bone and his body arched into Sebastian's embrace. A cry ripped out of his throat and he was reduced to a shivering form.

Sebastian moaned with the clavicle in his mouth. His little master was so sensitive and responsive it was driving him insane. He never knew how sensitive this little area on Ciel's body was. What an intensely erotic learning experience this was for him. He laved the abused spot with his tongue and abandoned it for the other side. As soon as his lips touched the skin over the other small bone, he was rewarded with a strangled cry from the boy and the sudden arching of the slender body into his own heated one. He hung heavy and full between them, and every time Ciel pressed tight to him it was heaven and hell in the same moment. His control frayed a little more with every brush of the small hips against his manhood. He moved his body lower and kissed down to the small pert nipples. He took one of the small pearls between his teeth and flicked his tongue at the tender flesh he held captive. His heart pounded against his ribs when Ciel began to writhe beneath him in wanton pleasure. It was enough. It was too much. He needed to bury himself deep in the treasure he found shivering in his arms.

Sebastian flipped Ciel over on to his stomach and pinned the delicate hands above Ciel's head with one hand. Ciel's protest turned into a strangled gasp when Sebastian's other hand found him hard and ready between his slender legs. Sebastian played with the small erection in his hand, keeping his lord in a haze of excitement. He drew the boy's body up to its knees, still keeping his upper body pinned to the bed, and kissed the base of the offered spine. He bit the swell of the quivering butt and turned his attention to the small puckered opening hidden between the cheeks. His tongue darted out and caressed the sphincter. He grinned when he was rewarded with a throaty shout of pleasure from the little demon. He licked it again more firmly, making sure to leave as much saliva there as possible. When he was satisfied by the slickness there he positioned his aching penis at the tight opening. He leaned his tall frame over until his face was pressed to the back of Ciel's neck. "This is going to hurt, but you like that, don't you?" he asked with a mocking chuckle. Sebastian didn't wait for an answer. He hadn't wanted one. He tensed his hips and pushed.

Ciel bit back his scream and dug his fingers into the pillows. He gritted his teeth against the pain even as pleasure beat at his nerve endings with illusory wings. He wanted to cut his butler down with a caustic retort but it wouldn't have changed the truth. And the truth was, he liked the pain. The harsh intrusion burned through his body, but he welcomed it. He felt himself stretching, stretching impossibly to accommodate a demon's erection; a demon who wouldn't let his body adjust to the amazing girth. And so he felt his body tear, and re-knit itself instantly. The sharp pain, the itch of his skin healing, danced along his nerves and poured through his veins. It felt good. His body swallowed the incredible length inch by agonizing inch until he had it all tucked inside his mindless body. Blood roared in his ears and he spasmed uncontrollably.

Sebastian bit his lip at Ciel's sudden orgasm. The milking muscles clamping around his throbbing manhood cut away at this last few strands of self-control but Sebastian was determined to prolong this experience. He sucked in a breath and dragged his hips backward. He pulled himself until his quivering member was free from Ciel's grasping muscles. When just the tip of him remained lodged inside, he thrust his hips and buried himself back in the hot tunnel. He repeated the motion two, three more times until he could glide in and out more easily. He shoved himself in as deep as he could, pressing against the one spot that promised to send Ciel into another round of spasms. He played with the other demon's prostate until the small body writhed wildly and incoherent screams echoed through the dark room. Blood trickled into his mouth from where he bit his lower lip. The combination of the metallic tang, Ciel's ragged cries and the small body closing like a hot, tight vice around Sebastian's body was suddenly too much for him. The fiery storm of pleasure caught up with him and scorched him to the bone. Ecstasy seared through his synapses and his body convulsed. A harsh groan ripped though his throat and he collapsed around the small shivering demon.

They laid there in the dark. Only the sounds of their uneven breaths pierced the silence. Slowly, Ciel's heart returned to its natural rhythm. He pulled free from the long limbs tangled with his and rolled on to his back. He turned his head to the side and looked into heavy-lidded scarlet eyes. A chuckle bubbled pass his lips and he arched his eyebrow. "So, you _do_ know what to do with that body of yours," he quipped.

Sebastian stayed on his stomach and smirked. "Anything my lord desires," he answered.

Ciel turned his head to stare at the ceiling with a _humph_. "If I'd known it took the stake of a soul to get you this riled up, I would have done so sooner. Perhaps, I will give you Haysop's soul as a reward after we finish seasoning it."

Sebastian slid his body through the silk bedding until he could lean over and look into wide crimson eyes. "The whole soul? What a kind and compassionate master I have," he said with a jeering laugh in his voice.

Ciel's face closed down. "This merely serves to relieve my boredom and nothing else," he said in a tone that matched his glacial expression.

Sebastian hummed in the back of his throat. "Ah, my lord, this coldness of yours was one of your tastiest characteristics."

Ciel stared up at the ruthlessly beautiful face and felt the beginnings of anger simmer through him. He had enough of being mocked by his own servant. He glared into the scarlet eyes. "Get off my bed and leave my room," he commanded dispassionately.

Sebastian sat up with the silky sheets tangled around him. "What a cruel master. You won't even let me finish basking in the after glow," Sebastian despaired mockingly with a sharp grin.

Ciel didn't want to deal with his servant or his emotions any more. Enough was enough. "Get out of my room. Now," he demanded with his back turned to the other demon.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian slid off the bed and gathered his clothes. He sketched a quick bow to the silhouette on the bed and turned to leave. The silence was heavy as he opened the door but there was a smile on his face. His lord was so shy. It was fun to tease him even if it meant being kicked out right after making love... having sex. He frowned at the word choice his mind formed before he changed the phrase. He closed the door behind him and stood nude in the dark hallway. What was wrong with him? He shook his head and padded down the corridor to his room. There was nothing wrong with him. Nothing at all. Tomorrow, he'd kill something to prove it. "Nothing wrong," he whispered to the shadows wrapped around him. But a small corner of his hollow heart didn't believe it.

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><p>AN: I hope you had fun. See you next chapter. My brain is fried and I am off to sleep.

By the way, comments and questions really do help. Critiques are the awesome if you have the time to write it. Thank you if you do, and thank you as well for just reading.

Hugs and kisses,

Ebon


	3. Chapter 3: Chess Pieces

POSSESSION, OBSESSION, AND MAYBE LOVE

Ciel Phantomhive X Sebastian Michaelis

Ebonlas

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><p>AN: Disclaimer – I do not own, nor did I create any of the original Kuroshituji characters or plot lines. Those are to be placed firmly at their respected owner's feet. Thank you Toboso Yana-san for your brilliance. That said and done, please do enjoy yourselves in my mind's creations.

Also, sorry everyone. For the first time in my life I was bit by a bush. My arm looks like a zombie bit me. Poison Ivy is not friendly and it doesn't care if you knew you touched it or not. I itched, burned and blistered, oh and then flaked. It sucked. But I'm better now in time to focus on my role in a play.

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Chess Pieces

A sea of ruby eyes and snapping alabaster teeth snarled at him from the foot of his bed. Ciel watched them with weary crimson eyes. A stream of soft gold broke through the heavy curtains and fell across a one hound, and its body turned to mist. The color of the sunlight told him Sebastian would be at his door within minutes. He grimaced. He wanted to finish this before his butler could interfere. He had three more wraith hounds to make. He sighed and sank himself deeper into his subconscious, into an altered state where he could gather power for his creations. The specks of glittering energy came to his hand without pause, or hesitation. The flow of multi-hued light was eager to bend to his will.

He opened his eyes when the slight weight of his finished product filled his hand. Ciel held the stem of a budding blue rose between his fingers. He caressed the velvet petals and watched it swell. Colorless vapor rose from the blooming cobalt flower. The mist curled around his feet and solidified into the hound's corporal form. He pet the fresh blue rose and watched as the dog rolled on to its back happily. He nudged the dog with his foot and told it to get off his bed. It turned a face that was frozen in a perpetual hungry snarl to him and quickly did as it was bid, its tail whipping joyously. He watched as it stepped into a patch of sunlight and vaporize. He smirked. It would fool so many people. No matter what form his wraith hounds took, those gleaming teeth were always razor sharp and ready to sink into tender flesh.

When the last of the five dozen roses lay on his lap, Ciel ordered them home into their respective flower. Each one dissolved and sank into their own host, waiting for when they can spring forth and protect their master. They would hunt down his foes no matter where they hid. Nothing could stop them from reaching their prey; not door, nor lock would keep them out. And only their master and his men could touch them. All other hands, or feet, or weapons, would find only air and the bite of their fury.

Ciel sighed heavily and leaned back against the welcomed mound of pillows. Making sixty wraith hounds in six hours was demanding. He had pushed himself close to his limit but the persistent niggling feeling would not let him stop. He had a feeling he would need every last one of these hounds in the weeks, maybe months, to come. They would guard his mansion well. He picked up one stem and tapped the vibrant head softly against his lips. A gentle spicy sweet aroma tickled his nose and was followed by a quiet woof of the hidden hound. He leaned his head back against the cushioned headboard and closed his eyes. Exhaustion weighed down upon his small frame like a thick, water-drenched cloak. He didn't open his eyes when his door clicked open.

Sebastian stood in the open doorway for a moment, taking in the sight before him. It didn't seem like his little master rested at all since he left. It was clear that whatever he had done had him worn thin. Demons did not have to sleep, but when they expend too much power, they needed to rest to rejuvenate. It irritated him that there would be very little time for his master to take proper care of himself. He straightened his shirt sleeves and cleared his throat lightly. Wasn't it part of his duties to take care of his master? A strong dose of sweet soul tea would be a good beginning. But first he had to take care of the numerous blue roses lying on the expansive bed. What were they? There was hardly a feel of power to them at all. Was Ciel truly so tired he could barely create his artifacts?

The contents of the bed let loose a series of howls in greeting. The scent of their master was all over this demon and therefore must be his. They jumped out of their roses with their face snarling and their tails wagging uncontrollably.

Sebastian froze halfway to the bed, made uncertain by the mixed messages of the hounds' body language. Were they snarling in anger and ready to pounce? Or were they happy and ready to pounce? Of course they could just be so happy to kill him they couldn't contain themselves. He risked a glance at Ciel to see what he should do and spied a small grin upon those lips. He sketched a short bow and decided to pretend that 59 snapping hounds were not encircling him. "Good morning, my lord. What would you have of me?" he asked calmly.

Ciel sighed at the lack of reaction and opened his eyes. "Let them greet you properly and then put two roses in every room and hallway in this mansion. The roses are the wraith hounds' hosts. They will be another intricate layer of defense on my home. But before you do, introduce the servants to them as soon as possible. Let the three know to never take them out of the rooms. They may be picked up and moved around while the other flowers are freshened but they must not be removed."

Sebastian grimaced down at the wet noses touching his outstretched hands. "Is there a reason for them to never be moved?" He wondered if these hounds were that fragile. Would something happen to them?

It was Ciel's turn to grimace. "No, they must merely be in pairs. They must be left together to form the bond that they need."

"Why are they called wraith hounds?"

Ciel looked at the rose in his hand, and the shadowy figure curled at his feet. "No one but you, I, and the servants of this manor may touch them. But their teeth will always find their mark no matter what form they are in. It doesn't matter if they are corporal or mist when they hunt. It doesn't matter how long, how far, how deep underground a person hides, if there is a way for air to get in, they will be there."

"And the roses?"

His hand curled delicately around the beautiful true-blue flower as he answered. "They are the host that ties the hounds to this realm. They are what allows these dream hounds to exist even when I open my eyes. Without them, the hounds have no home, no body, no anchor in our reality. In essence, these roses ARE the hounds' true form."

Sebastian nodded in understanding. The things that his master could come up with amazed him. Is that the unlimited mind that comes from once being human? No, demon born or not, his master was one of a kind even as a human boy creating a massively successful toy company. Becoming a demon had not stunted that creativity, it merely took off the limitations of what that human boy could do. "So, the way to destroy the hound lies in destroying the rose. That is the reason why you have them in pairs. If one hunts the prey, the other guards the hosts."

Ciel gave a sharp nod. "The roses are not as delicate as you make them sound, Sebastian," he chided indignantly. "They cannot be destroyed by normal means, and if even so much as a petal remains, it can regenerate itself over time." Ciel looked to the window and the spill of sunlight. "But I have a feeling that what we face will not be using normal means to fight us," he whispered.

Sebastian felt his gut clench at the weariness weighing down on his lord. He clapped his hand once and pointed to the roses on the bed, all the while staring into the mass of dogs. He watched them disappear and re-inhabit their hosts. "I will return to attend to you when I have finished this task, my lord," he said with his arms full of cobalt roses.

Ciel nodded and held two stems in his hand. "Do these last. You can put them away when you return."

Sebastian bowed at the door. "As you wish, my lord," he said, eager to leave and let his master rest for a few moments more. Although, that boy wouldn't know what that word was even if a dictionary opened to the page and slapped him across the face. No, his lord was not a restful one.

Ciel waited for the door to close before closing his eyes again. His energy was dangerously low and the day had just begun. He needed to recuperate somehow. What he planned to do was nearly cheating in his mind and it wouldn't last long, but it served his purpose. He sank back into that altered state and gathered the particles of prismic light. He focused the light into himself and felt his body hum with the energy. He filled himself until he held enough to last him the day. So long as he didn't expend unnecessary amounts of power today, it should be enough for his body to naturally rejuvenate itself by nightfall. It was a quick remedy but the more he did it, the more energy he needed to fill himself. And he hated relying on anything other than himself, and what he could create.

He drew in a deep sigh as the incredible weight hanging over his body became more bearable. His mind returned to its normal processing speed and he turned his wits toward the main issue at hand. In order to properly break Haysop, he needed to find out what the boy was like. What did he brat hold dear and irreplaceable? Why was he there to begin with? And how was the underworld reacting to the newly incompetent Queen's Watchdog? He couldn't even imagine what idiot decisions his imposter was capable of. Just the thought of the imbecile tarnishing his name flushed his body with anger. His slight body shook with his anger until the two roses howled. He swallowed his rage and laid a gentle hand on the flowers. It wasn't time for them to hunt down Haysop. When the moment came, Ciel would crush him personally for his impertinence.

He caressed the cobalt petals in thanks. He needed his mind clear to plan properly. And there was someone more dangerous than Alan Haysop. Ciel did not know enough about the boy's butler to be satisfied. The lack of information irked him, on the other hand. Why did Michael meet with the false queen? What business did he have? And why did she grant him a private audience? Who was the man? He needed those questions answered. And he needed to find a way to rescue his company from the idiotic clutches of a good-for-nothing child.

Sebastian returned to the quiet room and sighed when he opened the door. He doubted his master slept at all while he was gone, but at least he looked better. The weariness was still deep within those beautiful, bloody eyes. H walked up to the plush bed and picked up the two roses. "Where would you like these, my lord?" he asked in an effort to not flutter around the boy in worry. What had gotten into him lately? Surely one night of pleasure together was not enough to make him act like a love-struck adolescent. There was that word again! What was wrong with him? A demon had no soul, so therefore, a demon had no heart, and therefore, a demon did not (could not) love. And he was a demon through and through.

Ciel was too busy dealing with his own inner turmoil to notice Sebastian's. He watched the long slender legs encased in silk black trousers, remembering when those hips surged against him just the night before. His heart slammed against his ribs and his pulse beat thick on the back of his tongue. He swallowed painfully, not giving in to the obvious desire to clear his throat. "Put them in the vase on my dresser and face them to me."

Sebastian nodded and turned his back to the naked body on the sapphire bed. He walked to the polished oak dresser in the pregnant silence, unable to break it. When was the last time he felt so awkward? He faced the vase spilling with white flowers and inserted...? Yes, inserted, the blue roses into the tightly... packed bouquet. He wiggled the stem back and forth to enlarge the opening before sliding the fragrant flower home. His mind raced and his breathing quickened as he tried to find a place for the second rose. When his task was done, he let out a silent gust of breath. He stayed facing the riot of flowers to allow his body to calm down. There had to be something wrong with him if the act of arranging flowers quickened his blood with lust. "Don't you think a blue rose is rather conspicuous, my lord?" he asked, trying to by himself more time. When his pants stopped feeling like a constricting prison and he could shift his hips without pain, he turned around.

Ciel swallowed again and tore his eyes away from the strong line of his butler's back and muscular butt barely hidden by the black coat tails. "Not if every household in London has one."

He was unable to understand his master's intentions immediately. The blood pooling in his loins had not returned to his brain, it seemed. "You're going to make a wraith hound for every house in the capital?" he asked, perplexed.

Ciel's brow arched sarcastically over the contracted crimson eye. "Don't be a fool. I won't make a wraith hound for anyone else. But FunTom will be making blue roses for the world."

Sebastian nodded without understanding. "And how will you manage that?"

Ciel grinned and threw aside the heavy duvet. "I own the company, remember? I will figure something out today and let you know."

Sebastian crossed the room in a few strides and picked up the small body. "And what will they be doing in these homes?" he asked as he walked them toward the adjoining bathroom.

Ciel laced his arms around Sebastian's neck and gave a diabolical chuckle. "They are going to delight, enrage, and amuse the households."

Sebastian looked down at the treasure in his arms and frowned. "What are they?"

Ciel rubbed his fingers on the black lapel by his lips before answering. "Truth or Dare Roses. When you lie near one, it turns from the true-blue to a bloody burgundy. Keep lying, and it will bleed in truth."

Sebastian paused at the sinister curve of the lips so close to his own and re-positioned his lord to a less distracting height. "That could create quite a few angry households."

"Potentially," Ciel agreed mischievously. "Now give me a bath. Once you finish attending to me this morning, I have a job for you."

Sebastian nodded and walked them through the threshold and into the onyx and ivory washroom. "Yes, my lord," he responded. He had a feeling his need to kill would be granted. And he very much needed to kill something to settle his thoughts, body, and heart. No, not heart. He didn't have one of those. And he'd prove it once his master allows.

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><p>AN: Yes, I know this one is short and it's been such a long time. I'm so sorry, but this is such a natural place to stop. The next chapter is about Ciel recapturing his company and Sebastian is sent to meet the fake Ciel and Michael personally.

I hope you enjoyed this one anyway.

Xoxo - Ebon

Oh, and I noticed a few mistakes in the previous chapter so I went and fixed it. Nothing major, just a grammar error and a time line discrepancy.


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